Red Dog
by EmerMarie
Summary: Aschton Armash only wanted to live a normal life with his family. Unfortunately, fate tends to decide otherwise, especially with the cursed dog that he had hated so much. Unless he can come to terms with himself, returning home will be beyond his reach...
1. Strange Sale

**Yeah, I decided to do Red Dog, as well. You see, while I was thinking of writing a TotA fanfic, I was debating on whether I should use either Emer and Jamie, or Aschton. Since I had so many ideas piled up in my head because of this, I simply decided to try writing both. Still, you have to wonder, though, how often do you see OC/Self-Inserts fics that have the person knowing little to nil about the game they're in? I figured I may as well try that approach, especially considering that that I wasn't able to play TotA until recently. That, and I don't recall seeing many of those fanfics in question with an adult in them, normally they would range between 13 and 20 years old.**

**It took me forever to come up with a good way to get the first chapter to work. Come to think of it, a lot of people tend to have trouble on those, don't they?**

**And the funny thing is, like Two Sides of the Same Coin, I decided to release this on Valentine's Day just to celebrate the release of Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS. A bit silly, no? One of our favorite games being released on a _lovely day_ despite the cold temperatures. Heh heh, get it? I can be so lame at times... I know.**

**Anyway, enough of my blabbering. Have fun reading, everyone.**

* * *

><p><strong>Red Dog<strong>

_Aschton Armash only wanted to live a normal life with his family, but as always, fate tends to decide otherwise, especially with the cursed dog that he had hated so much, which he thought he had left behind. Unless he can come to terms with himself, chances of him returning home are slim..._

* * *

><p><strong>Aschton Armash (aged 28 as of July 2011)<strong>

**Born on December 28, 1982**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: Strange Sale<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Let me sail, let me sail, let me sail, let the Orinoco Flow.<em>

_Let me reach, let me beach, on the shores of Tripoli._

_Let me sail, let me sail, let me crash upon your shore_

_Let me reach, let me beach, far beyond the yellow sea..."_

The hum of the car did little to disrupt the beautiful music that the CD player was playing.

Right now I'm currently driving in my Honda Ridgeline, on the way to a business trip up in West Virginia. That is... _if_ I had a business trip. The real reason why I'm driving around is because...

_I'm running away for a while_.

I sighed to myself and pinched the bridge of my nose, _why_ did it have to be like this? To think that I'm such a failure of a brother and... No, I'd rather not talk about that. Especially since... No, I'd rather forget about that one, too. I don't want to remember _That_ ever again. Even though I have tried so hard for over _seven_ years to be a good brother, and that I have tried for over _nine_ years to keep away from being something like _That_...

_I don't know what to do_...

I wonder if I should have stayed home, then maybe I wouldn't have to burden the twins into looking after the others. Then again, the only ones I can truly trust are my family. If it weren't for them, I don't know how I would've been able to live.

I stopped at a red light, and I was the first one in line. I waited for a while until the light turned green again, and then I drove on. The sounds of some horns were honking behind me, and with a small breath of frustration, I moved over to another lane and watched the cars of the frustrated drivers pass. I kind of failed to see why they couldn't just move over to another lane, considering that I was in the middle lane of a _three-lane road_. Regardless, I shook my head, which caused my long red ponytail to crawl over my shoulder, which I then flipped it back behind me, and drove on. _I'm still trying to figure out why I haven't bothered to get a haircut in years minus my bangs_...

After about another hour, my head was beginning to pound. A headache, maybe? I quickly checked the center compartment between the two front seats and found the small bottle of Advil. I shook it a little, but didn't hear anything rattle inside.

_Oh, for the love of_...

Seeing that complaining isn't going to make any medicine magically come out from thin air, I decided to pull over at a Target that happened to be nearby. I don't remember which city I'm in, but I couldn't bring myself to care at this point. Right now I just need something for this _darned headache_...! I got out of the truck and went into the store, now where's that pharmacy section? After about two minutes I was able to find it, now I just need to look for the Advil.

_Oh, here it is... ow...!_

I grabbed the largest bottle of Advil I could find, which held around 500 tablets, this will last me a while. I had to resist opening the bottle now just to take the medicine, because this headache was just too... Ah, it's getting hard to concentrate. I think my ears are ringing a bit, too. Could I be sick or something? Whatever, at least the headache's bearable, and I don't feel feverish or anything, so maybe it's just stress? That seems likely.

_Well, since I'm here, I may as well just look around for a bit_.

My feet eventually took me over to the electronics section. Well, then again, it's almost always the first section I go to. Since my siblings love video games, I sometimes look around for video games that may look fun for them. Mind you, I don't play games that much, instead I would just listen to what my siblings say about them. Doing my best to ignore the headache that was still pounding in my head, I quietly browsed through the collections of games that were up for sale. One game in particular caught my eye, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. But something seems off, it's for the 3DS, but... what?

I picked up the case, which is shrink-wrapped and everything, and carefully examined it. There wasn't any indication showing that it was for display only, and there was even the Official Nintendo Seal on the back, so chances of this being a pirated copy is practically nil. As far as I know, making a pirated copy of a 3D game in less than a year is impossible, and if it's for the 3DS, then all the more so. I then checked the price on the sticker that was stuck on the shrink-wrap.

_Only twenty dollars?_ I rose a brow. _I thought 3DS games were more expensive than that_. And for a game as popular as this, it would probably be around twice as much. Around forty, if I remember correctly. Maybe it's on sale? I hummed to myself. Well, I do have a 3DS with me, since my siblings gave it to me for a Father's Day present, even though I'm not a father. To be honest, I don't have any right to call myself a father, anyway. As for why... I'd rather not say.

I thought about it for a moment, but I don't think it will hurt to buy this, and the price seems to be a good deal. I guess I could play this to pass some time, and it probably wouldn't hurt to do so after playing Dr. Mario Express so many times. Plus, I remember my siblings speaking so many good words about it, so why not? I may as well give it a try, and if I don't like it, I can always give it to one of them. But then again, wouldn't it be awkward if someone were to see me, at twenty-eight years of age, play video games meant for kids?

Oh, forget it, there are probably gamers out there who are much older than me, anyway. And I could really use something besides food to cheer me up. Not that I eat a lot, mind you. Maybe this game can help me take my mind off things for a while.

I nodded to myself and decided to buy this game after all. Keeping it in hand, I browsed the food section for a bit in search of some snacks for me to eat on the go. I'm not in the mood for fast food, since one, I'm not too fond of them; two, I could really have something small to munch on for long term; and three, most fast food tends to be way to messy to eat, and I don't find it to be a very good idea to eat fast food, which could be greasy, while on the wheel.

My head pounded a little again, which caused me to grunt in pain a little and brushed some red hair away. _Better make it quick_.

I did some quick browsing, and eventually decided on a pack of saltine crackers, a small box of pocky, a pack of Welsh's Fruit Snacks of the mixed fruit kind. For a cheap sweet treat, I grabbed a small pack of small bite-sized chocolates. I may not have much of a sweet tooth, but it wouldn't hurt to indulge a little once in a while, wouldn't it?

Seeing that I don't have any need for anything else, I went on to the cash register and had the cashier ring up the items. The cashier paused for a moment when she picked up the Zelda game for the 3DS, but said nothing as she scanned it and placed it inside a plastic bag with the snacks and Advil. I paid the amount in full, cents and all, thanked the cashier, and left the Target store.

Once I reached my truck, I climbed in and locked the doors. I then took out the small bottle of Advil, opened it up and removed the seal before taking out two tablets. Now where did I put that water bottle?

I looked into the front seat, where my backpack sat, and the plastic water bottle was leaning against the backpack and the seat. Another pang of pain went through my head, and I almost dropped the Advil I was holding in my hand. Placing the tablets into my mouth, I grabbed the plastic bottle and swallowed down a few sips of water. Hopefully the medicine will get rid of that darn headache soon enough, I don't think I'll be able to _drive_ if this keeps up.

Just to be safe, I decided to not drive at all for the next few minutes in order to give the medicine time to take effect. I dug through the plastic bag and took out the Zelda game I bought just minutes earlier. I stared at the package for a moment, something about it _still_ seems off. Well, a game's a game, so I may as well just play it now. I then dug my fingernail into the shrink-wrap and ripped in open. Taking the rest of the wrapping off, I opened the case and became immediately confused on the sight that greeted me.

Inside the case was not one, not two, but _four_ games. With them being: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, and Tales of the Abyss.

How did this happen? I mean, I only intended to get one game, not four. And what was even more odd was that out of the four games that were in the case, only Ocarina of Time 3D was mentioned. So why are these other three games here? Setting aside that question for now, I saw that the case still has an instruction manual, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look. But when I pulled it out, it only had the instructions of how to play for Ocarina of Time. So this isn't a bundle pack...?

_Hey, something fell out of the case_...

I shifted my legs to the side slightly in order to stretch my arm down and grab the small white card that fell near the gas pedal. There's some writing on it...

_Huh? I can't read it..._

It looks like it's in all squiggles shaped in some made-up musical notes, but the way they're lined up... is this someone's idea of a prank? I rose a brow with a sigh.

_Whoever made this, it's not a very good one_.

Sighing, I placed the card back into the game case. I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to hold onto it, maybe if I get someone from my family to take a look at it, they might know something. Chances are low, but you'll never know until you check.

Oh, come to think of it.

I took out my iPhone, activated the camera function and took a photo of the card. I checked the quality of the picture, and thankfully didn't see any blurriness in the text of the card. I then started to type a text while avoiding the (damn you) auto correct.

"_Hey. I found this card in a game case I bought. Any idea what its says?"_

I then sent the picture and text and waited for a bit. I let out a small breath, I really shouldn't expect a reply this fast. Even though I can't read it, there's _something_ about that card that's giving me the _creeps_...

_...Hm? … … … Oh! My headache's gone!_

Wow... the Advil worked really fast this time.

Since my headache is finally gone, I decided to set the items aside and just concentrate on driving. Turning on the ignition, I set the car gear in drive and drove out of the Target parking lot. Looking at my watch, I realized that I was inside the car for about ten minutes, and I couldn't help but raise a brow. That's still a bit fast for a headache to go away after taking some medicine, but still... I decided to let it slide, I need to get to West Virginia soon, anyway.

I turned the music player back on and continued to listen to music from Enya. Right now it was playing the song Anywhere Is, and thankfully it's taken my mind off of things like the headache from earlier.

_I just need some time... to come to terms with everything... Once I do_...

_I'll be able to go home with a smile_...

* * *

><p><strong>It can really hard to think like an adult, but I think I was able to get a taste of the adult world after accompanying my dad on a few of his business trips. Although many people would say that they are very good people watchers... I don't think it's that simple. It takes a lot to think like another person, and if you concentrate too hard on it your mind may eventually lie to you and make you become that other person in terms of mindset. It can be a bit scary if you're not careful. At least, that's how I feel.<strong>

**If you want to know why I handed out Aschton's birthday, it only had one reason: To show that he was born in winter. As for why... that's for later. I hope.**

**As for Aschton's name, originally, it used to be spelled as "Ashton," but the spelling looked a little ugly, so I added the "C" while thinking of the German word "Asche," which essentially means "to turn to dust." Also, "Ashton" would have a meaning like "to settle in an ash-tree grove" or something. ****To be honest... I really wasn't thinking about Asch the Bloody at all when I came up with the name "Aschton." When I remembered Asch about a week later, I did consider changing Aschton's name... but it stuck, and my mind is refusing for it to be changed. As for his family name, Armash, I chose it simply because I liked the name, mostly because it had a "strong arm" feel to it.**

**So, basically, Aschton turned out to be a character that somehow ended up resembling Asch. But the funny thing is, I came up with Aschton's design (for a homework assignment a few years ago) long before I heard about Asch, it was just his name that caused all of this jumbo for me.**

**But, anyway, that's it for now. Now I need to get back to work...**


	2. In a Crate

**Huh, only one review. I was kind of hoping for at least three. Oh well.**

**Anyway, before you start reading this chapter, I only have a few things to point out: Aschton _does indeed_ have knowledge of Tales of the Abyss, just... very little. In fact, all of the knowledge Aschton has either came from whatever he heard his siblings talk about, or in the very few times in which he has watched his siblings play it. So he while he will recognize _some_ elements, most of the time he will not. I wanted Aschton to have _some_ knowledge because it would've been more difficult to write Red Dog if I didn't allow him to have any.**

**Don't worry, I still intend on abusing poor old Aschton for his lack of knowledge about Auldrant.**

**Enjoy, readers.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two: In a Crate<strong>

* * *

><p>". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."<p>

_...Ungh... Ow..._

_M... m-my head... What happened?_

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_It's really cold... and dark... I can hardly move..._

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_I don't understand... wasn't I... in my truck...?_

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

"Kh... Who are you people- **GYAAAA!**"

_Huh... I recognize that kind of sound anywhere... someone has just been killed_...

**…Killed?**

_Just... where am I? ….Really? … Damn it... I can't... think straight_...

**BLAMM! BLAMM!**

"... take the bridge! But never forget what our true goal is here! These are the General's orders! Do not fail!"

_That sounded like a woman... sharp-tongued at that... And those bangs... those were... definitely gunshots... Did a... shooting occur? I don't remember being caught in one_... _wait_...

"Put a lid on it! I know what I'm doing!"

_That... sounds like a young man... I wonder what they mean by "the General's orders"_...

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_Huh... the sounds of the gunshots are dying down... I can't hear anything else... did it stop?_

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_I wonder how I got here... was I attacked by one of them? It... doesn't look like it... the only thing painful I can... register right now... is my head... Ow_...

_There's that odd smell... it smells metallic... and disgusting... just like the smell of blood..._

**...Blood?**

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

"...Ungh..."

* * *

><p>I couldn't hold back a groan as I opened my eyes and blinked, I then found that I was lying on my stomach. Why does my head hurt...?<p>

_Huh? Why is it so dark? And that smell... it stinks... Well, whatever the situation is, I know that I need to get out of here. And fast_.

Using what little strength I was able to regain after waking up, I pushed myself off the hard ground and managed to sit back. I felt a small sense of vertigo, but simply decided to wait it out as I felt my head become more clear. I took a few silent breaths, I wonder if there's anyone nearby? I was about to call out for anyone that could be out there, but then I remembered the gunshots I heard while I was half-conscious. I shuddered a little, those shooters could still be nearby.

Remembering... _That_, though... made me rethink something otherwise. Normally, I wouldn't mind dying, but if I were to be killed here...

_Then I know I won't be forgiven. I don't expect to be forgiven, but I don't want my family to- -_...

I gently knocked both sides of my head with my fists.

_Easy, Aschton. You've promised yourself time and time again that you would not think like that anymore_.

I held in a deep breath before quietly letting it out. I smiled a little in relief, especially since I've managed to regain all of my senses. Letting my instincts take control, I felt around my face and only felt my skin and hair. Well, at least I'm not blinded by anything, and I know for a fact that I am not tied up, either. Oh, and it turns out I still have my clothes on, so thankfully I wasn't stripped...

_Uh... That sounds kind of wrong... Yeah_.

Anyway.

I felt my surroundings, and I found that I didn't have to stretch my arm all the way in order to touch the ceiling. In fact the ceiling is only about half a foot above my head, and that's with me sitting down on the ground. Well... I guess that's what one can expect for someone like me, who's about six feet and two inches in height. I know I'm a bit tall compared to the average person, but I don't see the point to care right now. Getting back to my usual objective, I felt around again, and I was already touching walls.

_Huh? Am I inside a box of some sort?_

I shifted around a bit and felt my foot bump into something. I instantly placed my hands around it and found that it was my backpack.

_Sweet!_

Using my fingers to navigate, I was able to open my backpack and place my hand inside. That flashlight has _got_ to be around there, _somewhere_...

_Ah, here we go!_

I turned on the flashlight, which emitted a red light designed for those who want to keep their night vision. Using my flashlight to look around and... _Yep, I'm in a crate_. There's wood and metal keeping the thing together.

Whatever, I then decided to check the contents of my bag. The snacks that I had bought from Target earlier were neatly tucked inside, and so was my aluminum bottle of iced water (which hasn't melted yet, much to my surprise). My iPhone, my Nook Color, my Samsung Galaxy, some battery-powered rechargers meant to recharge the three gadgets from earlier are also tucked in there. I placed my hand in one of the pockets and pulled out my red 3DS and the game case (that held the four games) that I picked up from Target, seeing that nothing bad happened to them, I placed them back to where they once were.

_Weird... when did I put these items inside? Wait_...

_Was I... _not_ in my truck... when all this craziness happened?_

_Agh, if only I could remember_...

If I was kidnapped or something, then the possibility of me being in the truck at that time is rather low, especially since kidnappers would never leave my stuff with me... right? Not to mention that I have a gun hidden in the center console between the front seats, and I know how to use it. Quite accurately, too. When I checked my backpack again, there were some other items there, such as a small change of clothes which is a normal red T-shirt and black exercise pants, and a pair of sneakers wrapped in a bag.

The clothes I was wearing now is something one would expect in a business meeting. It's just a simple semi-formal red outfit, what with red slacks and a red sport coat. A white collared shirt and a dark navy-blue tie, and some brown leather shoes, those pretty much seal it. But then again, this is pretty much what I normally wear besides casual clothes. Yeah... in case you couldn't tell, my favorite color is red.

_Even though I hated red so much in the past_...

I checked for anything else that was in my bag, a few knick knacks and doodads were here, such as some spare AA batteries for the two rechargers meant for the iPhone and Samsung, and for the red 3DS. And near the middle of the backpack for easy access...

_...I'd better save that unless it's an _absolute _emergency_.

Having gained the knowledge of what I have in my inventory, I then decided that now is a good time to get out of here. And since I don't hear anything else outside the box (if you pardon the unintentional pun), then all the more.

I pushed at the edges and found a loose section in front of me. Taking advantage of this, I shoved the board as light finally sprang in. I had to cover my eyes for a moment before I could get adjusted to the vision. How long have I been in this big box, anyway? Shaking my head, I finally managed to push the wide plank far enough for it to simply fall off from the side with the nails still in it. I was able to crawl out from the crate soon after.

While I was keeping an ear out for anyone nearby, I slowly stood up as only silence continued to greet me. I can still smell the scent of blood, and it's very fresh, too. I then looked around and found that I was in a storeroom of some sort. Weird... was this some plot of a human trafficking ring or something? If it was, then... Yeah, I'm screwed if I don't get out of here, soon. Especially, since...

_I don't want to go through... _That..._ again_...

I was barely able to hold back a shudder as I pulled my backpack out of the box and tucked the flashlight into my pocket. Just when I was about to put on my backpack, I looked at some of the other boxes. Maybe there's something that can be of use there? I looked around again and didn't see anyone, so I guess it wouldn't hurt... for me, at least. Anyway, I looked at the crate that was next to the one I was in and examined it.

_Huh... you can open it by lifting the top_. _Wait, these are_...

"Guns?" I raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, there were guns of the same model lined up neatly in the crate. Was this where those shooters got those guns from? If so, then... how in the world did they not notice me inside the other crate? If it was by a stroke of luck, then I probably shouldn't expect Lady Luck to take my side again.

_This is going to be a _long_ day_. _Lovely_.

Anyway, after shoving aside my thoughts about the ridicule of the situation I'm in, I picked up one of the guns and examined it. It didn't look anything like the guns I've seen before, and it's a little big, but they're easy to hold and the weight feels just right for me. Maybe I should take this... Hm?

_Weird... I don't see any signs of its magazine... and where do you put the ammo?_

Regardless, I decided to take the gun with me, since it might prove useful. When I placed it inside of my backpack, I looked at the stash of guns again.

_I may as well take another, just to be safe_...

Lifting my backpack and putting it on, I then decided to look around the room a bit in order to find a way out. It didn't take long for me to find the door, which was obstructed from my view due to the other crates stacked up. When I checked some of the other crates, there were simply some more odd pieces of cargo and equipment, and even some armor. One box in particular, which was near a wall, actually had a skull-like marking on it signifying that it was poison or something, but when I managed to catch a whiff of it when I was close enough, I realized that the skull-crate contained gunpowder. I'm not sure why there's gunpowder, but now is not the time to think about things like that.

I then started to make my way towards the door, and when I climbed over a few rows of crates, I was greeted by a sight that I did not expect to see.

A dead body, and a mangled one at that. And there a few more corpses just like it on the wall in the corner. So that explains the scent of blood, and judging from the state of the blood and bodies, these people were killed not too long ago. It probably happened while I was unconscious, and all of this explains the smell. But still, something's not right about these corpses.

_Are these people wearing... armor? And there are swords, too... Wait... is it just me... or do these pieces of armor look... familiar?_

I don't know why, but I feel like I have seen armor like the ones the deceased people (soldiers or... knights?) are wearing before, but I can't remember _where_...

I looked at the corpses again, and I noticed that a few of them looked dismembered and even partially eaten. I even managed to find claw marks on some of the dead. In other words, it must have been some kind of animal that killed them, I highly doubt that a human could do that. But if that's the case...

_Lovely. There's probably some big cat like a tiger or something. I don't think I'll be able to stand a __chance against something like that. Nope. Not. At. _All_._

And what bothers me is that I'm not very bothered by the sight of dead bodies. At first, I wondered why, but then I remembered _That_.

_I'd better not think about... _That...

_That _damned_ Dog_...

Sadly, though, I don't think this is a dream, otherwise I wouldn't be feeling this stupid headache. Whatever, I've dawdled here long enough, I have to find a way to escape and get back home. I can't leave my family hanging like this...! Just when I was about to open the door...

"I think you know that already. Even if you do come across that defective creature, you are to make no indiscreet moves!"

_That's the sharp-tongued woman I heard from earlier. Oh no. If I get caught here...! Wait a minute..._

"_That defective creature"...? I wonder what that means?_

The loud sound of a metal door slamming almost startled me to the point of yelping, but I managed to stay silent by clamping the both of my hands over my mouth. Then another sound of something banging against metal rang out, but it sounded more like a fist. Was someone slamming their fist on the wall in frustration or something?

"Dammit...!"

_Huh? The young man from earlier?_

"... He's trash! Dreck! What possible value is there in keeping him alive? ! VAN!"

_Dreck? Van? I wonder what he's talking about? ...Come to think of it... the word "dreck"... sounds familiar. If I remember right, the only person I can recall ever saying that word was that video game character that my siblings talk about sometimes. What was his name again? I know it's similar to mine_...

"That defective took everything from me... Hahh...!"

I blinked at the sudden tone. Whoever the young man was, he sounded really angry yet... sad.

_One thing's for sure, he's outside that door. But whether someone else is there, the chance is pretty high. But if I were to take the sound of a door slamming into account, then the young man must have stomped here alone_.

What I'm about to do next could be regarded as one of the most stupidest moments of my life, but I don't think I can bring myself to care at this point. Quietly clamping my hand on the door knob, I opened the door...

...and met with the young man face-to-face.

Needless to say, the both of us only stared at each other for what seemed to be a long time. I couldn't help but blink at the appearance of the young man, who looked more like a person in their late teens. His appearance is very similar to mine, what with the long red hair and green eyes, but my red hair is tied to a ponytail, while his ran down freely. He's about half a foot shorter than me, but the sword he held on his right hand showed that he knew how to use it. His outfit was also something to comment on, a black uniform with red and silver trimming?

_Wait a minute... why does he look so... _familiar?

Whoever he is, he seemed to have gotten over his shock and pointed his sword straight at my throat, and all I could do was raise an eyebrow at the sight of the blade. For some reason, I just do not feel scared at all.

_But then again, it's kind of hard to be scared after_... That. _I hate _That_ just as much as that _damned_ Dog_...

"Who are you?" he spoke coldly as his scanned me with his piercing green eyes.

I stared at the sword again before I gently placed my hand on the blade and pushed it down slightly to keep it away from piercing my neck, causing the owner's hand holding the sword to twitch slightly.

"Huh," I sighed a little, not caring whether I'll be stabbed or not, "So I guess the tradition of introducing one's self before asking for someone else's name does not apply here."

The young man only rose a brow. I guess he was surprised that I was not acting all scared and such, kind of hard to after _That_. Ignoring him for a moment, I looked behind me and saw some more of those corpses. For some reason, I couldn't help but give out a small wry laugh at the situation I was in. "Hah hah..." I took a small breath, "Looks like someone forgot to clean up here."

"Who are you?" He spoke again, this time not as coldly, but he still held his sword up that could still pierce and kill me. There was an odd tone in his voice. Was he confused about something? Must be my appearance... we _do_ look pretty similar, after all.

I smiled slightly, but enough for him to notice, "If you must know my name... then it's Aschton." _I __think it's better for me to not reveal my family name... yet_. "What about you?" _Was it just me, or did his eyes widen slightly for a split second?_

The other person stared at me for a long moment before finally speaking, "I'm Asch. That's all I go by.

"Asch...?" I placed my finger against my chin in a thinking manner and looked to the side.

_Why does that name sound familiar...? Wait a minute_...

* * *

><p>"<em>So there are two Lukes?"<em>

_I looked up from my Nook Color, which presented _Bag of Bones_ by Stephen King, and listened in to my siblings from the living room. What are they talking about now? Probably something video game related again. Since all I'm doing is just sitting around in my usual recliner, I simply decided to just keep reading._

"_Yeah, apparently Asch also known as Luke."_

_I rose a brow, why would that character have two names? Was he the first... or the second? Or did it involve something else?_

_After about ten minutes..._

"_Hey, Aschton."_

"_Hm?" I looked up and saw one of my younger sisters, Lynne, walk up, "What do you need?"_

"_Which character do you like better in terms of appearance, Luke or Asch?" Lynne asked as she held up a picture that was probably printed out not too long ago._

"_Um," I looked at the two characters, one wore white and gold while the other wore black and silver, and they both have red hair. "I don't know. Who's who?"_

_Lynne quickly answered, "This is Luke and that's Asch," while pointing at the white one first._

"_They both look interesting," I blinked while looking at the two, "But aren't they both Luke?"_

"_Yeah, they are."_

"_So..."_

* * *

><p>"Who's the first one?" I muttered to myself.<p>

"What?" Asch's reaction, which looked like something unexpected came up, made me come back to reality.

_Uh-oh... maybe I shouldn't have said that, but since I already have_...

"Who's the first one? You or the other Luke?" I asked.

Asch looked like he was just about to drop his sword, the odd look on his face showed that I probably asked him one of the most craziest questions in the history of questions. One thing's for sure, by reading the look on his face, it look like he was angry, but there was something else in his expression. Confusion, maybe?

"How," Asch blinked for a moment as he pulled his sword away from me, "How do you know?"

"I don't," I said truthfully as I tilted my head and tugged my backpack strap, "That's why I'm asking."

There was a long silence as Asch studied me for a moment, then looked around without taking me out of his sight.

"...Get back in that room."

"What?" I blinked.

"You heard me! I said get back in that room!" Asch said as he held his sword up to my chest, showing that he would (and probably can) hurt me if I don't comply.

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh then before smiling, "Thanks, Asch." _It does feel kind of strange to talk to someone with a similar name to my own, but I won't let that bother me_. "I won't ask why you're killing so many people, and I won't even ask why you're here."

While Asch gave me yet another strange look, I quietly opened the door I came out from earlier. Before I stepped inside, though, I turned to Asch again. "So... I guess I'll be seeing you again later?"

"You won't be able to escape, anyway," Asch rose a brow, "I'll be interrogating you when this is all over."

"Hah hah. Hiding me from the bad guys, huh?" I couldn't help but tease a little, "You probably don't mean it that way, but, oh well."

Asch stared at me for a moment before commenting with a raised eyebrow, "You have a very odd sense of humor, for a crewman.."

"Do I? Well, not like it matters, anyway," I then stepped back into the room I was in earlier. Before I closed the door, though, I spoke one last thing to him, "Just so you know, I'm not really a crewmember here. In fact, I don't even know what this place is or how I got here. I'm just a simple man that was stuffed in a crate." When Asch didn't say anything, probably due to taking the words I said into mind, I continued, "As thanks for this, I won't tell anyone that I have seen you. I'll see you later, Asch." When Asch didn't say anything else, I simply bowed my head slightly and closed the door.

I instantly pressed the side of my head against the door, and just then I heard footsteps walking away. That must be Asch leaving to do whatever, and hopefully it does not involve anyone trying to capture me. Seeing that I'm probably safe (for now), I started to make my way back into the crate I was kept in while ignoring the dead corpses.

But just when I was just about to walk any farther, I was on my knees as my brain finally processed the odd abnormalities that has been going on. From the very beginning, I knew something wasn't right. Seeing Asch told me everything.

_Okay... What the hell...? What the hell? WHAT THE _HELL?

_What am I _doing_ here? How did I _get_ here?_

The only thing I can think of involving Asch is that video game that my siblings like to play, Tales of the Abyss. If Asch is here... Could I seriously be in it? If I am, then...

_Lovely_. _Very. _Flipping_. _Lovely. _And the fact that I'm not cursing doesn't help, either_.

Pushing aside my frustration for the moment, right now I just need to find another way out of here. The gunpowder from earlier might be of use, but chances are that the people responsible for the deaths of those knights might hear it. I don't even know how big this place is, but...

_What the...? The lights went out? What's going on?_

Thankfully, it wasn't completely dark, and I was able to see the outlines of the crates. Even so, I quickly took out the flashlight from my pocket and turned on the red light function. Thanks to it, I was able to find the crate I was trapped in earlier and decided to hide in there for now. I also took the plank that I pushed out earlier and tucked it into the crate as much as I could. I don't think anyone will be able to notice the crate I'm in that easily, especially since the crate I'm hiding in is almost against a wall.

I would've gone back outside the room and try to get out from there, but since I have no idea how to get around the place, and not to mention that it's all _dark_, it wouldn't be very smart of me to do so. But if I hide in here for too long, then Asch might come back and interrogate me for real, the fact that I was able to survive that encounter was probably something not many would get.

_What should I do...?_

Tucking myself into the crate I was trapped in earlier as much as possible. I took out my red 3DS and turned it on with its volume muted, and I squinted my eyes at the brightness of the two screens. To counter this, I quickly went to the option menu and turned the brightness down to the minimum.

_Hold the phone_...

I then took out the strange game case, opened it, and took out the Tales of the Abyss game for the 3DS. I stared at it for a moment before inserting the game card in.

_...If I ever come across any of the main characters, I'd better not let anyone see this. Or anyone at all_.

I considered playing it, but decided to save it for another time, so I turned off the 3DS and put it and the games away. I don't know when I'll be able to play them, but I know I will when I get the chance.

I waited and waited for what seemed to be hours, but when I looked at my watch it showed that it had only been about ten minutes. Maybe I should take out my Samsung and hear some music...

All of a sudden I heard a door open.

_Oh no... Did Asch come back? If so, then..._

_...Crud._

* * *

><p><strong>I think it's safe to say that I deliberately made Aschton color characteristics match Asch's (and therefore, Luke's) purely for story purposes. I once heard that red hair is said to be a sign of nobility in the TotA world, so I might try something involving that.<strong>

**The main reason why I made Aschton keep his backpack was purely for the gadgets inside. I needed something for Aschton to use to keep his mood up. And the reason why some bits are in italics is just for us to see what's happening in Aschton's head.**


	3. For the First Time in Nine Years

**It took me a while, but I finally managed to write this chapter in the way I am satisfied with. Like I said in the first chapter, Aschton can be either incredibly easy or incredibly hard to write since he is an adult who does not know much of anything about Tales of the Abyss.**

**The new features that FanFiction added are pretty nifty, but it's going to take me a while to get used to them. Maybe I should try drawing covers for my TotA stories...**

**That aside, here is Chapter Three!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three: For the First Time in Nine Years...<strong>

* * *

><p>"Ah, here we are. We'll find our something fun in the back, behind these boxes."<p>

_Oh no... I don't recognize that voice... or do I...? I can tell that it's a man, though. Even so, I hope that "something fun" isn't _me.

I kept my hands over my nose and mouth to muffle the sound of my breathing and any other possible sound I might make.

The voice I heard earlier sounded refined in tone, and very authoritative at that. Nothing like Asch's in terms of speaking pattern, but I guess I could compare it to the voice of that sharp-tongued woman.

"So, we just need to move these boxes, then?"

_Huh? Another woman? Not as sharp-tongued, but another woman, no less._

"That's right." _The authoritative man again_... "By the way, Luke, I can't say I think much of you forcing a woman to do the heavy lifting."

My lips twitched at the oddly teasing tone of the man's voice. _Wait... did he just say... "_Luke"?

"I'm fine, Colonel," I heard the woman say. _I don't hear the sounds of crates moving... and considering how big they are, I guess it's safe to say the she _is_ struggling_.

"Or do aristocratic boys lack any muscles?" _There goes that teasing tone again_. There was then a mock sigh, "And here I thought even your brain was made of muscle."

"What did you say? !" _Another voice... it sounded a lot like Asch's... could that be... Luke?_ There were some loud foot steps, a brief pause, and then, "Wait a minute. You're a guy, too. You help out."

"No, I'd rather not." _Wha...?_ Needles to say, I'm not impressed with that tone of the older man's. "You're younger than I am, after all. At my age, all my joints ache..." I can clearly tell that he is lying on that one. If I were to guess judging from the tone and voice, the older man would probably be in his mid-thirties. And _that's not old_.

_I swear, if that man said something like that in my hometown, he'd be criticized _left_ and _right_ by the older residents there_. _They'll do whatever is possible even _with_ their joints aching_.

"...Fine, whatever. Out of the way, I'll do it." _He sounds annoyed_.

"Th-thanks..." _The woman_.

"You can do it, Master!" _Huh? The voice sounds a little shrill. What's a very young kid doing here?_

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

I couldn't help but let out a wry smile and a silent chuckle. Or was it a silent giggle? Or a snicker? Is there even a difference between the three words? I can never understand those...

I heard the shifting of crates moving, so I guess it's the younger man that's doing it. Whatever they were doing, I don't intend on revealing myself to them, and I quietly pulled out one of the guns I took out from one of those crates from earlier. If I'm going to captured, I might as well fight if I have to.

_Even though I'd rather not kill_...

All of a sudden the crate I was in shifted rather roughly just before it hit what seemed to be a wall, and even I couldn't keep my balance as my head slammed against one side of the crate, "Ow!"

"Is someone in there?" The woman spoke in an unsure tone, though she does seem alert.

I kept silent.

"It must be one of the crew members," the older man spoke, "Looks like not all of them were killed." I then heard someone knock on the crate I was in, "Whoever is in there, come out."

At first I considered just staying silent, but there was something in the tone of the older man that made me think otherwise. So, after I carefully placed my flashlight into my pocket and kept the gun in hand, I tried to push the plank that I had used to get in and out, only to find that something is blocking it.

_Right. This side must have been pushed against the wall_.

Seeing that that way was out, I then took off my backpack, lied down on my back, and started to kick hard against the ceiling of the crate. It took me a few tries, but I was finally able to get another plank loose. Someone from outside seemed to have noticed this, for I saw something enter through the gap I was able to make. Seconds later the plank lifted and I was finally granted my way out again. Grabbing my backpack, I stood up from the crate and climbed out before looking at the people that stood before me.

_...Huh...?_

_Why is... Luke here? And the other two_...

Because I was easily able to recall the picture of Luke that my sister Lynne had showed me months ago, I instantly recognized Luke on the spot. But the other two... Thankfully, I was able to keep my surprise from showing on my face, which was easier to do since the older man, who wore a blue uniform, had a stare that was studying me through and through. I didn't fail to keep eye contact with him, although _that_ was pretty hard to do.

"And who the hell are you?"

I couldn't help but turn my attention to the redhead, who asked rather rudely. Well, no time to criticize him about that right now.

I then looked around. _Okay... I'm completely clueless_.

"He's not one of the crew," the older man spoke as his eyes narrowed.

"It doesn't seem like he's an enemy," the woman spoke. _She's shorter than I thought_...

"Now is not the time be questioning things right now. We'll need to take the Tartarus back first." the older man said as he walked over to a different crate, which I recognized to be the one containing gunpowder. "Here it is."

_Tartarus? I remember that in Greek mythology that the Tartarus is both a deity and place in the Underworld, but_... _Why does it sound like he's referring to it as some sort of _fortress?

The redhead, who I have already recognized to be Luke, looked very confused at the crate in question, "This is your 'something fun'?"

"Colonel, is that gunpowder?" the young woman asked. _Come to think of it, she looks younger than I thought_, _too_.

"Gunpowder? !" Luke took a step back in shock, "Why is THAT here?"

"A group of soldiers have been pilfering supplies to sell on their own," the older man, the Colonel, spoke, "I discovered that they'd been hiding gunpowder here. Though this commotion has made my investigation pointless."

"Okay, but I don't see how I would be worth anything..." I muttered to myself. The Colonel gave me an odd yet calculating look for a moment, but said nothing.

"I see, so we're going to ignite this to destroy the wall," the young woman spoke as if she had realized something.

"Are you serious?" Luke turned to the Colonel, "You sure that's going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine as long as we're not caught in the explosion," the Colonel answered, "Now let's hurry."

"Do we light it with a fonic arte?" the woman asked.

_Fonic arte? What is that supposed to be? Still... I don't think it would be a good idea to ask them that right now_...

"No, we'll light it with Mieu," the Colonel then looked down with a knowing smile, "You're on, Mieu!"

"Yes, sir!" I looked down and saw this "Mieu" in question. A little light blue critter with large ears, the tips of its ears and stomach were patched in white fur, and a large ring was around its waist_. Wow... kinda cute... I know Laura would just _adore_ that furry little thing_. _Wait_...

_Doesn't Luke seem to be a little... _too_ close to the gunpowder crate?_

"Whoa! Wait a- -"

Just as Mieu let out a puff of fire, I grabbed Luke's shoulders and pulled him behind me. The box of gunpowder exploded just an instant afterward. When I looked at the spot where the gunpowder once was, sure enough, there was a large hole on the wall, showing the way outside.

"Jeez...!" Luke had a very irritated tone in his voice as he turned to the little furball, "You could've waited half a second!"

"Mieuuu..." Mieu's ears drooped, "I'm sorry, Master."

"_Master"? Am I missing something here?_

"No, that was perfect, Mieu," the Colonel seemed amused by this, "Now, let us be going."

"R-right..." Luke blinked for a moment before looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I released his shoulders quickly afterward.

_Why is he staring at me like that? Come to think of it, Asch reacted the same way, too_...

When the Colonel and the young woman started to make their way out from the room, Luke muttered, "How can those two watch an explosion go off right in their faces? I swear, they're not human..."

I remained silent.

* * *

><p><strong>What Are They Trying to Do?<strong>

_Luke: What are these guys trying to accomplish by kidnapping Ion?_

_Aschton: (Ion? I wonder who that is...?)_

_Tear: Well, Ion is working to avoid war... So perhaps they're trying to disrupt the peace talks?_

_Aschton: *raising an eyebrow slightly and blinking* (Wait, what? War?)_

_Jade: Given Ion's influence on both Kimlasca and Malkuth, his presence is critical to the peace process. Preventing him from reaching Baticul would certainly be the most direct and effective way to disrupt that process. But attacking a Malkuth military vessel just for that...? It makes me wonder._

_Aschton: (Military vessel? !) *looks to the side* (But the thing we're in is on solid ground!)_

_Tear: You think there could be more to it?_

_Aschton: *tilts his head slightly* (...It's a possibility, but that's just me assuming.)_

_Luke: What do you mean?_

_Jade: Enough idle conjecture. Let's discuss this after we've taken care of the present situation._

_Aschton: (I wouldn't mind knowing what's going on, you know_...)

* * *

><p>Right after we climbed up two rows of ladders, the Colonel stopped me.<p>

"By the way, I suppose you know how to fight?"

I nodded as I held up one of the guns I picked up from the storage room.

"Ah, I see," he examined the gun with his eye for a moment, "Good, that type of gun does not require the task of reloading ammo. Use that to hit the enemies, and avoid shooting us three."

I nodded as I looked at the gun. _Huh... so I don't need to reload this thing? Weird_...

The Colonel then led us through the bridge of this large thing called the Tartarus, and I swear, it looks like it could store a small town's worth of people inside of it.

I had to snap out of my thoughts for a moment when I heard Tell yell "Griffin!" At first I thought she was imagining things, but then I looked at the actual thing in question...

_Whoa... a real live griffin_...

Not exactly like the ones depicted in Greek mythology, but now's not the time for that. With the gun in hand, I took aim at the griffin's wing and fired. To my surprise, the kickback was pretty minor, and the bullets do not seem to pack much of a punch. Not as powerful as I hoped they would be, but it's better than nothing, and it does seem to be powerful enough to take out a human if needed.

_Oh boy... I think that thing's ticked_...

The griffin shrieked when a mysterious blue cube materialized near it before exploding, much to my surprise, and ended up killing the griffin as a result. Needless to say, the Colonel wasted no time as he kicked the griffin's carcass into whatever was down below. Taking this chance, I decided to get the second gun out from my backpack. Looks like I'll need to use both of them for this...

"Let's move."

He led the three of us (four if we count Mieu) into another section of this so-called Tartarus. Once we reached into the interior, the Colonel stopped and looked through a small window, "It looks like we made it in time. There they are."

"Have they realized the Tartarus did an emergency shutdown?" Luke muttered.

_Emergency shutdown? That's what happened earlier? Well, I guess that explains why the lights went "poof" all of a sudden_...

"I'd be rather surprised if they haven't," the Colonel turned to him, "More importantly, we can't use fonic artes. There's no time for casting."

Luke turned to the side slightly and said in a somewhat(?) rude tone, "It's not like you can use decent fonic artes, anyway, with that fon slot seal."

"How can you say things like that?" the woman turned to Luke, "The Colonel's been working hard to undo the fon slot seal."

"I don't mind," the Colonel turned to her, "It's the truth."

_A fon slot seal? I wonder what that's supposed to be? And I still don't know what exactly fonic artes are, either. Wait... that blue cube that exploded... was that a fonic arte? If I were to look at those three, I'd guess it was the Colonel's doing... Well, I don't think I can use any, anyway, so it should be fine_...

The Colonel made all of us get into position. We then spent about a minute waiting for the emergency hatch to open, once it did, Luke smirked and had Mieu blow out a puff of fire right at the knight's face.

_Burn, baby, burn_... _Disco inferno~_...

Shaking that silly song out of my head, I watched the Colonel jump down and attack the gun-wielding woman that was at the bottom of the steps. She looks vaguely familiar, but she's too far away for me to get a better look. At the young woman's signal, I followed the Colonel down the steps, and just when I reached the bottom I saw the Colonel hold the gun-wielding woman and knifepoint with his spear.

"Jade Curtiss..." I hear the gun-wielding woman speak, "You're a force to be reckoned with, even with your fonic artes sealed."

_Huh, so the Colonel's name is Jade Curtiss... I'll have to remember that_.

A knight came near me, but I was able to avoid a slash directed at me before Luke slammed Mieu against the knight's armored head, which knocked him to the ground.

_I often wonder how Mieu was able to tolerate being thrown around and whatnot_...

"Tear, your fonic hymn!" I heard the Colonel, Jade, command.

The gun-wielding woman rose a brow, "Tear...?" She turned her head to glance behind her, "Tear Grants!"

"Major Legretta!"

_Tear Grants, and Legretta. So those are their names... I'll have to remember those, too_...

I then noticed some large cat-like creature creep towards the young woman, Tear, but before I could shout out to her in warning, she was already knocked down by a burst of electricity. And on top of the big cat was... a girl with pink hair?

A sword came near my throat, pinning me in place, and Luke was right next to me, also with another knight and sword near his neck, with his arms in the air with Mieu in hand. Even the little furball's tiny arms were up.

"Master! We're surrounded..." Mieu said, stating the obvious.

_Damn it...!_

"Arietta! What's happened to the Tartarus?"

"It's still inoperable... I was only able to get here because my friend tore open the wall," the girl with pink hair answered while clinging her doll. _So her name is Arietta_...

"Good work. Restrain them and- -" the gun-wielding woman, Legretta, paused for a moment and looked up in the sky before bringing her attention back to us. At first I thought it was a bluff, but...

All of a sudden a blond-haired man in orange came down from the sky (really?), knocked down the soldiers who were holding onto a green-haired person, and grabbed said green-haired person as he ran. The woman, Legretta, started shooting once she recovered, but the blond easily blocked them with his sword, although how that was possible I have no idea.

"Enter the amazing Guy!" he announced.

...If I weren't in such a serious situation, I probably would have face-palmed right there. Still, he had some pretty good timing into helping us out here, so I really can't complain about that... I wonder where he jumped off from...

_But still... that _phrase_ he used was... … … … … …_

I clenched my fist.

_Oh, who am I kidding? It's been over ten years now..._

"Aah!"

"Arietta!"

I went back into reality as I saw Jade near Arietta. Seeing that the knights had their attention on their leaders, I took this as my cue to subdue them. First I kicked the knight near me in the torso and knocked him to the ground before doing the same thing to the other, freeing Luke. The two knights, glared at me, but silenced instantly when I aimed my guns at them.

_I don't want to do it_...

..._Not again_...

"Now, drop your weapons once more and go back inside the Tartarus," I heard the Colonel, Jade, command with a very authoritative tone.

I took a step back as I gave the two knights room to get up without letting them out of my aim. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Legretta doing as Jade says, and the knights did the same.

"You're next. Take your monster inside," Jade said as I saw him hold the pink-haired girl, Arietta, with his spear over her neck.

Arietta looked over at someone among us, "Fon Master... I... I..."

"Please do as he says, Arietta," I turned to the green-haired person.

_He's the Fon Master? What does "Fon" mean, anyway? Still... for a "Master," he looks pretty young_...

Arietta seemed to have hesitated, but eventually did as she was told, but in a very dejected manner. She guided her big cat back into the Tartarus with Jade following very carefully. Once the enemies went inside the Tartarus, Jade started pressing some buttons that happened to be near the bottom of that stairway we took to get out.

"All of the hatches should stay closed for a while," Jade said just before the stairway raised up and back into the Tartarus.

"Whew. Thank goodness... Good timing, Guy!" I turned and saw Luke looking very relieved to see the blond-haired man.

_So _he's_ Guy. I think I remember my younger brother Lucian playing as that character_. _But... why does he... … … … never mind._

Guy smiled, "I looked all over for you. Never thought you'd turn up in a place like this!"

_Huh? So Luke went missing or something?_

"By the way, Ion, where Anise?" Jade turned to the green-haired person, who turned out to be Ion.

_If I remember correctly... Ion is a _boy_... right?_

"The enemy stole the emperor's letter. Anise went to get it back, but a monster knocked her out of a porthole," Ion sighed for a moment before brightening up, "But I heard soldiers say that they couldn't find the body, so I'm hoping she's all right..."

_Who is Anise? I may not know who this "Anise" is, but hopefully she is okay, because Ion seems really close to her... I don't think I saw her, but I don't even know what she _looks_ like... __Well, then again, I never played the game at all. I only watched my siblings play it. Maybe I should have played the game with them at some point, maybe then I wouldn't be so damn _clueless.

"Then let's head for Saint Binah," Jade had a calculating look, "That's our rendezvous point with Anise."

"Saint Binah?" Luke asked.

"It's a city to the southeast of here," Ion answered.

"Okay. We just need to make it there, right?"

"What about your troops?" Guy turned to Jade, "They're still inside this ship, right?"

"I can't imagine there being any survivors," Jade looked a little grim, "If they left any witnesses, it would lead to war between the Order of Lorelei and Malkuth."

_Oh no_...

I couldn't help but look at the Tartarus.

_Oh no... if that's the case, then... those corpses that I saw were_...

"...How many people were onboard?" Luke had the guts to ask.

"This was a top secret mission, so only half the usual number—around 140."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. In fact, if I hadn't done that, I probably would have thrown up right there_._

_Damn it... this reminds me of that _one incident_ that took place over nine years ago. __But... then again... if it hadn't been for _that incident_... then I_...

"Over a hundred people were killed..." Guy muttered while looking at the Tartarus before turning his attention to Luke.

_Come to think of it, minus Guy, any of us could have been among the casualties_... _but if that's the case, then_...

I tore my gaze away from that fortress.

_Why did Asch spare _me?

"Let's get going. If we get caught here, the war that follows will claim the lives of many more," Tear suddenly spoke, and the others agreed before they started moving. When she saw that I didn't move, she looked over at me and tugged at my arm, "You, too."

"..." I only blinked before following the others.

* * *

><p>And so, we ran. For the past few hours all of us would be following Jade while running towards Saint Binah with only a few breaks that only seemed to last about a few minutes each.<p>

_I can barely remember the last time I had to run a marathon_...

But then again, I've long been used to running. I still remember the two times I was forced to run in the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii years ago by my... father. Once when I was fifteen, and once when I was eighteen. Of course, I didn't win either, nor did I ever intend to. I'm not really sure why my father made me participate in that marathon, but I do know that he wanted to test my endurance at least.

I don't really think highly of my father that much... or at all.

_Heh, I still find it funny that my birthday is only a few weeks after that marathon._

Getting back to the topic at hand.

The sun was already shining above us, and I'm pretty sure that all of us were covered in sweat right now. I looked over at Ion, who was probably the most frail out of all of us, and even I could tell that he desperately wanted some rest, but didn't want to burden us. When I was about to stop the group so I could alert them to Ion's condition, the boy himself beat me to it by collapsing to his knees.

"Hey, you okay?" Luke was the first to speak up.

"Ion... you used Daathic fonic artes aboard the Tartarus, didn't you?" Jade suddenly asked in a somewhat concerned yet stern tone. _Daathic...? I wonder what that is?_

"That thing you did back at the cheagles' place?" Luke blinked.

_Cheagles?_

I looked at Mieu.

"I'm sorry. My body just isn't built to use Daathic fonic artes..." Ion panted, "A fair bit of time has passed so I thought I'd recovered, but..."

_If Ion isn't "built" to use these Daathic or whatever it's called, why does he even use it?_

I can't help but feel sorry for the poor kid, even though I kept a stoic expression. After looking behind me and seeing that there weren't any of those knights in sight, I turned back to the others. I noticed that Jade was giving me a calculating look again, and I tilted my head slightly, gesturing to Ion. Jade's calculating gaze lasted for only a moment longer before agreeing, "Very well. We shall rest for now for Ion's sake."

"I'm sorry..." Ion apologized once again.

Everyone agreed as we all walked off the main path in order to an area with more cover to rest. When Ion collapsed again, I helped Ion get back on his feet.

"Thank you. You didn't have to help me."

I didn't say a word in response.

A few minutes later we found a few sections of trees that provided some decent cover. After Jade gave everyone the okay, Ion quickly sat down on the ground, panting heavily. Jade and Tear went on to tend to him.

While we were resting I was leaning against a tree with my backpack beside me. I was tempted to take out my Nook Color so I could continue reading _The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon_ by Stephen King, but decided not to in the end.

Yeah... in case you couldn't tell, I enjoy reading Stephen King novels.

I watched Luke speak to Guy about whatever subject; meanwhile, Ion and Jade we're speaking to each other about something, and Tear was holding Mieu in her arms. Therefore... I'm the only one without anyone to talk to. Well... not that I mind. Except...

_I wonder how my family is doing without me_...

I then looked up into the sky and rose a brow. What are those odd rocks that are up there floating...? Whatever they are, they do look sort of pretty. Leaving those odd floating rocks aside, I then thought about my current situation. If everything here is real, then...

_Tales of the Abyss, huh?_

Really, to think that I'd find myself in a video game like this. And what's worse? I don't even know much of anything about the game. In fact, the only knowledge that I have about that video game was through the random bits of conversation that I happen to overhear from my siblings, and from the few times I have seen my siblings play it. And plus, the only character I was able to recognize right off the bat was Luke, and I barely recognized Asch as soon as I heard him say his name.

Since I'm the oldest in the family, I rarely have any time to play video games, and even then the only games I usually bother to play was Tetris or something.

_Of course, the question is: _Who_ sent me here? _How_ was I sent here? And... _why_ was I sent here?_

..._I'll probably never know_.

Regardless, I need to find a way home. I then glanced at the others for a moment. If I join them... maybe I'll find something that had something to do with me being sent here? I then thought of something, maybe this is...

_My punishment_...

Come to think of it, what _is_ this planet's name, anyway? I don't think it's called "Earth," but...

Wasn't this whole thing supposed to be _fictional?_ I looked at the grass below me and plucked out a blade, I then felt it for a moment and found that it was real green grass, not something that looked like it was made out of polygons, it was completely organic. When I looked at the others, who were supposed to be the main characters for the game, they all looked like real people, not in that cartoonish style that my siblings have gone to know and me being able to witness a few times. I absentmindly tossed the blade of grass away, and began to pluck a few more to help me collect my thoughts.

My head begin to pound again before I placed my hand against my forehead, and I felt a small bump. Weird... I don't recall hitting my head against that crate _that_ hard...

_Agh... dumb headache... Where's that medicine?_

"Are you okay?"

I looked up and saw a single blue eye stare at my own green ones. It was Tear. When I didn't say anything, she kneeled down next to me and brushed my bangs away from my face. Before I could raise my arm to tell her to back off, she spoke, "You hit your head. Quite badly, too, judging from the scrape. I'll heal it for you."

_Huh?_

A warm feeling went through my head as a light green glow emitted from Tear's hand. Not even ten seconds had passed before I felt the headache vanish completely. When she finished, I felt my forehead, it felt completely normal. _The bump's gone_...

"...Thank you," I spoke quietly, and couldn't help but blink. _What _was_ that?_

"You're welcome," Tear nodded before turning the group not to far away from us, "We should remain closer to the group. It's best not to stray too far away from each other unless we plan on having monsters ambush us."

Since I know for a fact that I have absolutely no idea about the general surroundings, I decided that it was best not to argue. I looked up at the rocks up in the sky again.

I couldn't help but frown a little.

_Is this... what fate has decided for me? If so, then_...

_I guess I... really... do..._

_...deserve_

_to_

_be_

_**gone**_

_and_

_be_

_**punished**_

_for_

_the_

_things_

_that_

_I_

_was_

_forced_

_to_

_do_...

_Damn those people from almost nineteen years ago_...

_It's because of _Them_ that I_... _Even though I have tried so _hard _after finally getting away over _four_ years after _that first incident_ happened almost nineteen years ago_... _Is it not enough to satisfy_...

I clenched my teeth a little while keeping my mouth shut. It took every last bit of nerve that I have to keep myself from shaking.

_Forget it_.

_Forget it_.

_Forget it. It's impossible to get away from the aftermath of _That._ If _he_ wasn't able to escape from _That,_ then I won't be able to, either. I wonder how long I have until _That_ catches up to me? And when it does..._

"By the way, who are you?"

I snapped out from my thoughts and saw Ion look at Guy before turning his head towards me.

_Right_... _so far, only Asch knows my name. Well, just my first name, but..._

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself, have I?" Guy stood up and pointed at himself with his thumb, "I'm Guy, Guy Cecil. I'm a servant in Duke Fabre's manor."

When everyone shifted their attention to me, I placed a hand on the back of my neck and kepy my tone and expression stoic, "...I'm Aschton. Aschton Marker." I'm not really used to this sort of attention.

_Damn... I've subconsciously used my Marker alias again..._

_Even though my real family name is _Armash_... I just feel a lot _safer_ with the name Marker...I've had to use it before after _That _happened... I was hoping that I wouldn't have to use it again... But... had I not used the surname Marker back then..._

I subconsciously gripped the edge of my coat over my heart.

_Would I have been able to become the person I am today?_

Everyone else, other than Luke, then started shaking hands with Guy, but when Tear approached, Guy let out a yelp and jumped far away from her, much to everyone's confusion.

"...What?" Tear blinked in confusion and advanced a bit.

"Aaaah!"

Silence.

"Guy doesn't like women," Luke, who was right next to me, spoke as if he was commenting on the weather. I turned to him with a slightly confused look. Was he used to this? I turned back to Guy, and judging from the way Guy was reacting (he's acting a bit like a cartoon character...), it's not easy to miss that he is genuinely terrified of Tear right now.

"I'd say it looks more like a phobia," Jade added his two cents in.

I have heard of people having gynophobia, but this is the first time I have ever seen one who actually has it. I wonder what caused it?

"S-sorry... It's nothing personal... It's just..."

"If it helps, you don't have to think of me as a woman," Tear spoke and advanced towards Guy again, who in turned took a few steps back. And it kept going on for about a few seconds before Tear gave up with a sigh, "Fine. I'll be sure to keep my distance. Will that take care of it?"

As much as I know that Tear was being sincere, it's kind of hard _not_ to think of her as a young woman, especially with her figure. Not to be offensive to Tear or anything, but she probably wouldn't be able to disguise herself as a man even if she tried.

Guy calmed down a bit, but the frightened expression still remained, "Sorry."

I let out a silent sigh of a dry laugh.

_I feel so sorry for the only female in the group right now_...

"If you serve House Fabre, you must be from Kimlasca," Jade broke the brief silence, "Did you come looking for Luke?"

"Yes, under orders from Duke Fabre," Guy nodded before explaining, "We knew he'd disappeared into Malkuth territory. I went by land from Chesedonia, while Dorian General Grants crossed the sea and started searching from Kaitzur."

"Master Van's looking for me, too? !"

I looked at Luke and saw that he became really excited, as if the best thing the world had just happened. Now that I think about it, while I cannot remember what exactly the relationship between Asch and Luke is, other than the fact that they are not exactly brothers.

_There was something else... what was it_...

* * *

><p>"<em>You know, you can't help but feel sorry for Luke most of the time."<em>

"_Why do you say that?" I asked while watching my sister Lynne play Tales of the Abyss. As far as I know, she's currently trying to level up as much as possible before going up against some big boss in a side quest. She had finished gathering up some odd weapons, something about catalysts..._

"_If you take the circumstances of Luke's birth into consideration," she sighed before looking at the list of items she has in her inventory, "Even though he has the body of a seventeen-year-old," she then looked at me, "He's really a seven-year-old child."_

"_Really?" I rose a brow. Luke? Seven years old? He doesn't look like one..._

"_Really, what Van has done to Luke is cruel beyond words. Luke never deserved any of the hurt that was inflicted on him after..."_

I couldn't remember what she said on that part.

"_...But even so, using a seven-year-old trapped in a seventeen-year-old body as a _weapon?_ To Van, he's nothing more than a mere _scapegoat..."

Scapegoat?

* * *

><p><em>Drat<em>.

_I can't remember the next part of that conversation I had with Lynne months ago._

I looked at Luke.

If I were to compare Luke and Asch right now. Unlike Asch, there was a sparkle in Luke's eyes that screamed the word "kid," while Asch had a rather... clouded and put out look, as if the spark he once had had been extinguished. I can tell that the both of them have the same face, but Luke's expression showed a lot more freely while Asch's... didn't.

_It's like they're one person, yet they're _not.

I couldn't help but smile slightly at Luke's enthusiasm. It's just like what Lynne said, Luke really is a young child, technically at least. I may not know much about Luke and Asch, but... does Luke really deserve the hatred that Asch has for him? Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be able to get the answer for that question.

_They're like halves of a whole, just like those two kids that I would sometimes see back home_.

_I wonder how they're doing_...

The sounds of metal clinking together caught my attention, and when I turned to look what was behind me...

_More of those knights! They must be the same ones from earlier!_

"Oh dear, it looks like we've run out of time to chat," Jade said as a spear suddenly materialized in his hand. It's funny how he doesn't seem concerned about this. Well, then again, after seeing the stunt he was able to pull on that gun-wielding woman named Legretta, I guess those knights are nothing compared to that woman.

"Th-those are people..." Luke took a step back. I couldn't help but look at the younger redhead in concern. If I were to take what Lynne had said to me months ago, then Luke really _is_ a young child at heart.

_Unlike me, he still values life to its fullest._

"Luke, stay back!" Tear's voice caused me to turn to her, who had her weapon ready, "You know you won't be able to kill them!"

"You won't get away!" The knight's voice, which sounded a little echoed due to the helm that covered his entire head, started to charge at us with his four remaining companions. The one that spoke charged at the one closet to him, which, sadly, is me.

I had my gun ready.

..._Damn it_.

When the knight was close enough, I dodged an attempted stab attack by sidestepping him, grabbed his free wrist, and pulled him down to the ground as he landed on his back. I pointed my gun at the forehead of his helmet.

_I really didn't want to do this_...

..._Not again_...

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

**BANG!**

The hand stopped moving before it could even rise an inch.

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_I can't hear anything around me..._

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_...Why is he no longer moving?_

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . !"

..._Damn_ _it_... _Damn it_...

..._DAMN IT ALL! ! !_

"Luke, finish him!"

The sound of Jade's voice caused me to snap from my clouded thoughts. I snapped my head towards Luke's direction and saw a knight kneeled down in front of him, and I could see that Luke was terrified...

"_You know you won't be able to kill them!"_

The loud sound of metal colliding snapped me out of my trance as a sword jutted itself to the ground near my feet, and I was too distracted by the sight of the last knight about to attack Luke to care. Before the knight could strike Luke, I saw Tear rush in between them and took the blow for him.

I aimed my gun at the knight's head and fired, and when the shot hit, Guy had sliced the knight's back diagonally, killing him.

"Luke!" Guy rushed over to the younger redhead while I went over to Tear.

"T-Tear... I-I..." Luke stared at her, and I could tell that he was clearly shaken.

"You idiot..." the young woman then passed out.

* * *

><p>Well... This has been a rather long day. Night had already arrived, and there were nothing but the stars and the moon up in the sky.<p>

Because Tear was the only female in the group, it had been rather... difficult... as to who will tend and bandage up Tear's wounds. Jade seems to have taken a shine into teasing anyone who dare do so. Guy wouldn't do it because of his gynophobia, Luke wouldn't because he was too shaken to do so, and Ion wouldn't (read _couldn't_) because Jade refused to let him, and Mieu couldn't because it was too small. I personally thought of this whole thing to be rather... silly.

So I took the job of doing it.

"My my, Aschton, hogging up the young lady all to yourself?" Jade teased.

I ignored him ("Well, you're no fun."). If that man is just going to tease me for something as trivial as this, then it's not worth making up a retort for it, much less react to it. Besides, when you've studied anatomy, and that you actually work in a doctor's clinic as an assistant/receptionist, it really doesn't matter. I've tended to my two younger sisters, along with a few other female patients that the doctor of our hometown would have before, so this is no different in Tear's case. The "hogging up the young lady" part, however... was a little bit much, even for a joke.

_That_... _and I have long lost what it was really like to be teased_... _among other things_...

Before Guy started to get ready to cook dinner, he had lent me a camping mat that I could use to keep Tear's wounds from getting infected by the dirt, so I laid her on top of it. Earlier, during the time after Tear took the blow meant for Luke, I was quick to bandage up her arm, which suffered the most damage since it had a fairly large gash. I changed the bandages after seeing that it became dirty somehow.

Keeping my back towards the group that was a small distance away, I unzipped her dress-like uniform part way so I could see the actual wound. I noticed that she has a brown top covering her bust, but thankfully, the wound didn't reach the back of the bra, much to my relief. I then started to clean up the wound on Tear's back. The blood had already crusted up, which meant that the wound isn't too deep, so she should be fine after a few days rest. While being careful not to touch the top covering Tear's upper chest, I wrapped the bandages over the wound on her back.

_That should do it._

I placed a hand on Tear's forehead. I don't feel any signs of a fever, so I guess I shouldn't worry. I then checked her pulse by placing two fingers on the slightly hollow space of her neck. It's a little slow, but that's normal for someone who's asleep.

_Come to think of it... it is getting a little cold_.

After zipping Tear's uniform back up, I took off my red sport coat and placed it over Tear for her to use as a blanket. I might as well make her comfortable while she's recovering. It'll be a little bit chilly for me since I only have a sleeveless gray tank top under my white collared shirt, but I'll manage. I should just be thankful that it's not _winter_, otherwise... Yeah. That would be bad.

I kept my backpack beside me, and I debated on whether I should take out my Samsung or not. I could really go for some music right about now, but whenever I look at the group... they don't seem to be the kind of people that would know about a Samsung. Something's telling me that I shouldn't pull it out whenever Jade's around, and for some reason I feel that I should avoid Guy seeing my Samsung, too, or any of my gadgets for that matter. In other words, I can't even use my Nook to read or play Dr. Mario or Tetris on my 3DS.

_Lovely_.

Sighing a little, I took out my wallet from my backpack and opened it to see the photo inside. Six people were in the picture, standing in front of a large tree in our hometown.

_Me, my four siblings, and their... my..._

I still haven't been able to come to terms with that. And since I have no way of getting into contact with them...

_Hm? Did I just hear a groan?_

I looked over at Tear, who was stirring a little. After putting the family photo back into my wallet, I placed the wallet into my backpack before setting my attention to her. Tear didn't seem to notice my presence as she tried to push herself up from off the ground, making my sport coat fall off in the process. I gently pushed her back down, and Tear understood seconds later after wincing a little in pain.

"What happened?" she muttered, noticing my coat covering her.

"You took an attack meant for Luke," I answered with as few words as possible. I noticed that Tear's face was turning red a little before looking upset when she noticed the bandages, I simply continued, "The cut only reached part of your arm and back, nothing else."

"You didn't have to do it," she muttered, and I could hear the slightly embarrassed tone, "I could've healed it myself whenever I wake up."

I rose a brow slightly before I placed my coat over her again.

After a moment of silence, I went through my backpack.

_Maybe I should take out my Samsung after all, it's kind of hard to go through silence with such heavy tension_...

Tear suddenly spoke again, "...Are you alright?"

I zipped my backpack back up without taking anything.

"You're a civilian, too," Tear said, "Will you be alright killing people?" When I didn't say anything, she continued, "Although it didn't show much, I saw the way you shook when you killed that Oracle Knight."

I furrowed my brow and looked away, so she's been able to see through that? I still clearly remember the moment when I killed the first man that came after us. It took a lot to prevent myself from breaking down back then. I know in that in the past, I probably wouldn't have. But that was back then, this is now.

_I wonder if I should tell her_...

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

_Forget it._

"Don't give me that look of pity," I glared at her coldly, which is something... that I hadn't done since...

Forever...

_Nine years ago_...

_One week ago_... _before I left home_...

I turned away and placed a hand over my face. I clenched my teeth. I tried to keep myself from hyperventilating.

_Just a few hours ago_...

_I_...

"...Aschton?"

I stood up, "Dinner should be ready soon. I'll be sure to get you a plate." I didn't say anything else as I walked back to the campfire to see Guy and the others while keeping an eye out for monsters. It turns out that we're having potato stew for tonight.

_Please..._

_Please..._

_Don't make me become anything... like _That_..._

_Ever again_...

* * *

><p>The moon had risen up to its peak.<p>

Dinner was nothing more than potato stew that Guy had prepared. But because of the unexpected number of people when he really expected two, Guy had a bit of trouble. Luckily Jade had some spare potatoes, but how he had them is beyond me.

Needless to say, while potato stew isn't my most favorite dish, I can eat it if I have to. Even so, I made sure that Tear had enough, so that way she would have a bit more energy. I think Jade made another joke about me "hogging her" to myself, but again, I ignored both him and Tear's comeback. I didn't even bother to answer to Luke when he asked if I was in love with Tear or something.

_Really, is caring for an injured person of the opposite gender really that much of a big deal? Then again, considering my age and how I was... raised, I shouldn't be too surprised._

After everyone had finished eating, I helped Guy clean up since I had nothing else to do. I kept a close eye on my backpack, which I let Tear use as a somewhat substitute of a pillow.

_Oh, I think she fell asleep_.

Well, that's one load off my shoulders. Hopefully she'll be be better in the morning.

Some time later, after everyone settled in, I silently volunteered to be the first watch. Tear and Ion were left out because of Tear's injury and that Jade refused to let Ion do such.

Once my shift was over, I lied down on the camping mat and closed my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>As I am sure you may have thought of by now, Aschton does not speak much, usually keeping his thoughts to himself. I placed his thoughts in italic just to make him "talk" more while remaining silent to the party. I don't know if this might get redundant, though... Your thoughts?<strong>

**I also noticed something funny while writing this chapter: I read on Aselia that Jade is 186 centimeters tall, and I made Aschton 190 centimeters. I didn't realize that Aschton is the tallest member of the party until I saw Jade's height, and I nearly cracked up at that. Another thing I found out is that most of the OC inserts are female and that they're pretty short. ****So, in other words, Aschton is the complete opposite of the usual OC insert in terms of physical characteristics... I don't know if that's a good thing or not.**

**Read and Review! I could use some constructive criticism.**


	4. Kill

**Bah, it's really been a whole year since I updated this thing? Geez. If you want an explanation, some of my computer files went corrupt. I back it up frequently, which made this a minor setback, but somehow only a select few of my folders were screwed up. For some reason I neglected to back up Red Dog and Two Sides (probably because I keep changing the storyline since I'm nuts like that), and since I was busy with school and stuff, and being a bit lazy at times, I didn't have much time to rewrite them.**

**Anyway, here's Red Dog for now, I'll try finishing up Two Sides by the end of the month.**

**Onward.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four: Kill<strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>...John Wright, 42... Gregory Finch, 35... Mark Edgeworth, 42... Bella Lenore, 47... Taylor Washington, 31... Percy Clearwater, 24...<strong>_

_Stop..._

_**...Penelope Parkinson, 29... Millicent Shanks, 38... Vincent Bulstrode, 30... Socrates Ramada, 59... Majorie Lestrange, 43... Brutus Cadaverini, 78...**_

_Stop it..._

_**...Brandon Norman, 23... Zachary Conklin, 25... Maurice Dunbar, 39... Colette Princeton, 26...**_

_Please... Stop it...!_

_**...Grant Wheatley, 69... Diana Halliwell, 45... Rock Blanc, 32...**_

_No! Stop it! Please!_

_**...Barbaro Lyon, 58...**_

_STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!_

_**STOP IT!**_

My eyes opened instantly.

My heart was beating like crazy. My face was in a cold sweat. It took everything in my willpower to keep myself from breathing as if it were my last. It is a miracle in itself that I didn't even _scream_...

It is still night.

…

_Damn it._

I placed the back of my hand over my forehead. Of all times to be remembering those names, it had to be now... Why?

_Of all times... why _now?

I sighed silently, clenched my fist as I pulled my arm away, and turned my head. Everyone else is already asleep except for Guy, who is up on night watch, but I don't think he has noticed me being awake yet. I quietly pulled my sleeve back a little and looked at the time on my digital watch, then pressed the button that lets it dimly illuminate the face.

_4:16 AM_

And the seconds were still counting, with it's date reading 7.14.11. _July 14, 2011_.

_It doesn't look like I'll be able to get any more sleep tonight... or morning. When did I leave home again?_

Sitting up, I rubbed my forehead in hopes of forgetting the nightmare, even if only for a moment. However, if I ever forget the name and age of even _one_ of them...

_Stop it, Aschton. Don't even think about it. Just. Don't. _Think._ About. It._

I looked at the others that were still asleep.

Tear is still lying on the camping mat I had placed her on last night, and my sport coat is still over her like a blanket with my backpack being a makeshift pillow. When I looked at the mat, she didn't seem to have stirred that much. I guess my coat did its job into keeping her comfortable, so that's something to feel a little relieved about. Turning to Ion, he is still sleeping on another camping mat that the Colonel had on him for some reason. I don't see anything wrong with Ion, so I'll just leave him be. I then turned my attention to the Colonel, who is lying still on the ground like a brick next to Ion, but something tells me that he would wake up even at the slightest of noises, and not because that he is a light sleeper.

_...I wouldn't even be surprised if he's pretending to be asleep right now._

And then, finally, I turned to Luke.

I remember that Luke had a hard time going to sleep at first, and the reason why is obvious: He really didn't want to kill anyone, whether the person was an enemy or not. I still remember last night when Tear and Jade, who have long been trained on how to kill, gently, yet fiercely, made Luke feel guilty into not wanting to kill people.

_Not that I'm any better than those two._

I then remembered the conversation I had with Lynne a few months back. If Luke really is only seven years old, then he's no older than...

_I wonder if my family is... I hope my family is okay._

Jade had provided me a camping mat as well for some reason before we all turned in for the night, but at least it prevented my white collar shirt from getting dirty, so I can't complain. Not that I have any reason to, anyway.

My dark navy blue tie is right beside me, tied to my backpack, since I took it off before I went to sleep because I didn't feel like choking myself. I fingered the tie clip that is still stuck on the tie itself. Not many people would comment about it, since I would often hide it by buttoning my coat. It's only a thin, dark golden-brown clip with a small emerald in a tiny gold frame, so it didn't have much value to anyone else back home. But...

My fingers stiffened as I tried hard to keep myself from grieving.

_It means a lot to me. _She_ gave that clip to me on my 20th birthday. If I were to lose it, along with those two other possessions I have... Even though they may be mere trinkets to most... They're too precious for me to leave them at home._

I looked up at the sky, and even though it is still nighttime (well, morning, actually) with the stars still up, it looks so _different_ compared to the sky back home. I mean, I can't even find simple constellations like Orion or the Big Dipper anywhere. I remember in the past that so many times I would often look at the stars with my family, and it comforted me, knowing that I had my family with me.

_But now, they're not here. And the sky is completely different._

_This place..._

I wrapped my arms around my knees.

_...is not where I'm supposed to be._

"Oh. You're awake?"

I turned my head to the source of the voice behind me. When I saw his face, I thought he was...!

"Hey, you okay?"

I hid my sigh of relief as I relaxed. It's Guy. It's only Guy. _Only Guy. Calm down, Aschton... It's only Guy speaking. It isn't _him_. Not..._

_Damn. It's going to take me a while to get used to this new _environment_._

I only nodded a little, since there wasn't much of a need for me to speak.

_I hope I can get used to this place soon. I haven't even been here for a whole day at least and here I am going crazy already. Guy's appearance and personality doesn't really help matters much._

"So what are you doing up this early?"

_I cannot blame him for not knowing._

"...I just woke up," I murmured while rubbing the stiffness from my neck. I then gathered enough nerve to turn to the blond, "What about you?"

"I have the last shift of night watch," Guy shrugged before turning to look up at the stars, "The sun should be coming up in a few hours."

I only nodded, and neither of us spoke for a while after that. I looked up at the sky again. Again, even though there are stars here, I can't see any of the constellations I'm familiar with.

_Since when was looking at the sky so_ heart-wrenching? _There's nothing here to remind me of home at all..._

"So," I turned to Guy again when I heard him speak, and saw that he pointed a finger at me, "Aschton, right?"

I nodded slightly, "Guy, if I am not mistaken."

"You're not," he grinned, then had a strange look on his face, as if he was studying me, "You know, your clothes are kind of strange."

I raised a brow slightly and tugged at my collared shirt a little. Does my shirt really look that odd? It's just the typical white collared long-sleeve shirt that one could buy in a department store to match with a semi formal look, but my red coat and slacks were custom made by a friend of my family's. Well, then again, my first sister was the one who asked our friend to make it for me.

"Are you a noble by any chance?" Guy asked.

I blinked at the random question a few times while raising a brow in confusion. Even though I wanted to remain silent, it's probably best for me to ask, "What exactly made you think of that?"

"Well, you have red hair and green eyes for one thing," he said, "The royal family of Kimlasca is known for their red hair and green eyes, so I was wondering if you were one of them."

"Red hair and green eyes..." I murmured, then shook my head a little before fingering a lock of my red hair. I sighed a little as I stared at my hair for a while. Red hair and green eyes run strong in our family. My younger siblings have red hair and green eyes, which they inherited from our mother. And I inherited my red hair and green eyes... from our father, which were a slightly darker shade in color. I furrowed my brow at the mere mention of him as I recalled some of his words.

"_Those that do not red hair are considered filth. Those with dark skin are considered filth. Those with brown, hazel, and black eyes are considered filth. Those with black, blond, and brown hair are considered filth. Only those with pure white skin, red hair, and have either blue, or better yet, green eyes, are the ones superior to everyone else."_

If you ask me, those that _do_ have red hair and green eyes with characteristics and a _mindset_ like that are the ones that are _really_ considered filth. And the sad thing is, even though my siblings and I never took our father's teachings to heart anymore for many reasons, we all have the traits that are considered "superior" to the Armash family standards. We never cared about our father's teachings after his death, and my youngest sibling, my youngest brother, was never exposed to any of it, and we intend to keep it that way.

I won't deny that I used to think like my father, but after _That_ happened, I stopped caring about all of that nonsense. Especially since my best friend, my first ever friend, whom I owe _everything_ to, had blond hair and brown eyes. I could _never_ label him as filth after everything he did for me. If it weren't for him, then I wouldn't still be here.

Alive.

Pale white skin with a hint of cold. Red hair with a dark flame. Green eyes with the harshness of poison. Those are the traits that I have, just like our father. I'm just as impure as he is when he was alive.

Pale white skin with a hint of warmth. Red hair with a shine of the sun. Green eyes with the value of an emerald. Those are the traits that my siblings have, just like our mother. Because they are younger than me, they still managed to remain clean of sin. My youngest sibling was born after our father died, making him the only one truly innocent of everything.

_Quite the racist bastard, aren't you? ...Eh, old man?_

Well, those traditions and nightmares have long ended starting me, ever since that damned man was taken by the Grim Reaper of a traffic accident eight years ago. My siblings, my family, and I, have been at peace since then.

_Or at least, in my case, it should have been._

All of that aside, I'm not sure why I even bother growing my hair to be so long. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I had a major haircut. Usually I just have it trimmed a little to get rid of any split ends, or to keep my bangs from being too long. All said and done, I would just tie most of it into a ponytail high on my head and leave some side locks of my hair flow down freely in front of my shoulders. I do have a small habit of fingering my side locks whenever I need to think to myself. My siblings have said more than once that that they liked my hairstyle better that way, and that short hair did not suit me. Maybe that is why.

"Aschton?" Guy's voice brought me back to reality.

Remembering the topic he was talking about, I just signed quietly, "I can't say that I like that fact. And no," I turned and looked at Guy in the eye, "I don't know anyone being part of a royal family personally, and I am not a noble, nor do I ever want to be one," I turned to the stars again, trying to identify any possible constellation I knew, "And I don't want my family to be such, either."

"I see," Guy tilted his head slightly, "You say you have a family?"

I turned to him again, wondering if I should answer.

I seemed to have touched a soft spot just by staring, since I saw Guy wince very slightly. The very slight motion of his head and lips gave it away. Whatever the case, I didn't bother to apologize as I waited for an answer. If Guy isn't going to answer, then I won't either. It may be a bit rather... _rude_ on my part, but sometimes it's best to keep your family anonymous. That, and...

_I'd rather not get my family involved into anything so _horrible_ again..._

"...As for me, I used to have my parents and older sister, but they died a long time ago during the Hod War," Guy spoke after a moment of much reluctance and seeing that I wasn't going to talk, "I can barely remember what they look like now."

I wrapped my right hand around my left fingers, "I have four siblings. I also have an uncle and a cousin. I haven't seen any of them in a long time, though."

I wasn't really lying about me not seeing my family in a long time. I wonder how long I've been away from home? It could've been days since I last saw them, and I left my home in the morning before all of this madness happened.

_My current home in that small town, and the place in where I used to live with my siblings, they can be so close, yet so far away from each other. I've long cut ties from my previous home, so why do I keep going back there? All I have for that place is nothing but bad memories except for a few events, which are few and far from between the time from when I was seventeen to twenty years old. But then again..._

"Four siblings?" Guy asked incredulously.

"Two girls, two boys, and me," I quietly spoke as I pointed at myself, "I am the oldest."

"Really? I bet it was a lot of responsibility to help your parents raise them."

"...It was."

_Even those memories... have been forgotten._

"How are your parents doing by the way?" Guy asked.

I was reluctant to answer, but since Guy had already mentioned his own parents being dead, it was only fair to tell him, "My... father... died over eight years ago. My mother died about eight months later."

_Ugh. I hate calling that bastard my father._

"Oh... really?" Guy winced slightly, "I'm sorry for your losses."

To our father, our mother was nothing more than a woman who would bear as many heirs to the Armash family as she could, which ended up costing her life. While I do feel some lingering sadness over the death of my mother, I was never close to her. I don't know about my siblings, but I probably do not even love her as mother and son. As for our father, I do hope that he is burning within the depths of nothingness, since hell is nothing compared to it.

My uncle had married my only aunt, in other words, my father's younger sister, a little over two decades ago. Because my uncle has red hair and green eyes, despite being a "commoner," I do not recall my father despising him very often. All I know about my aunt is that she is younger than my father by about fifteen years, and that she had passed away because of complications after the birth of their daughter, in other words, my cousin.

Because of the death of his sister, and that my cousin was born a girl, my father had cut ties with my uncle completely, and denied having any relation with my cousin. However, I have the distinct feeling that if my cousin was born a boy that day, then my father would have taken her away, leaving my uncle to despair all alone with the loss of two beloved family members. All I know about my uncle is that, while related to me through my aunt's marriage, he did not have any other family relatives to rely on, and that whatever living relatives he had were estranged.

After my father died, I ended it all by cutting all ties with what little the Armash family remained and their old traditions. When I moved my family to our current hometown, it was just by coincidence, possibly by fate, that I had found my uncle again, who earned his living by being a respectful lawyer for the small town. I also had the chance to see the cousin I was never able to meet until then, and my younger siblings felt right at home. After many years, we managed to pick up the pieces and start a new life in our current home, and we have been at peace since then.

Or at least, in my case, it should have been. I wonder if I should mention that other relative we have, but it would be best if I didn't.

I shook my head at Guy's statement, "It's fine. To be honest, our father was... not a good man."

_I don't have the right to receive a title like that._

I looked away and sadly smiled slightly to myself.

_I know that I do not have the right to receive anything like that... Even though..._

* * *

><p><em>I fell to the concrete floor.<em>

"_Do not talk back to me!"_

_I, who had turned seventeen not too long ago, did not let the pain in my cheek that came from the punch show. I was long used to this, and I knew that I saw it coming. But even if I dodged..._

"_As the eldest, you have no right to achieve anything as trivial as that!"_

_I quietly brought myself to my knees. My arms hurt, they're burning like crazy. The pain on my left cheek hurts. It was a good thing that I turned my head just before the punch, otherwise it would have burned even more. The physical pain I suffered here is nothing compared to _That.

"_You best forget about all of that and move on!"_

_How I hated him. How we _all_ hated him. But why? Why can't I have just that _one thing_ in my life?_

"_You do not have the right! You are the eldest, so _you_ must carry _it_ on! Do not defy me!"_

_No, I will _not,_ I don't _want_ to carry it on! That damned thing that began even before I was born..._

"_You do not have the right!"_

"_I'm not living your life!" I snapped before I could stop myself, "I don't want to live that life of yours!"_

"_You best look in the mirror before you defy me, Aschton," he said, pointing at me, "You look like me, and you are like me."_

"_No, I am not!"_

_He punched me again, and once again I fell to the floor. That bastard turned and walked away, leaving me to suffer on the cold concrete._

"_No matter what you do, you can _never_ escape from your heritage. Remember that."_

* * *

><p>I looked up at the sky again, hoping that someone back home could hear my thoughts. My <em>pleas<em>.

_Everyone..._

My siblings. My uncle. My cousin. The doctors that work in the town's only clinic. The teachers of the only school that my two youngest siblings attend. The married couple that runs the local butcher shop. The middle-aged lady that owns and cooks at the diner that my family and I frequent. The mayor of that peaceful town. Those people that guard the town's relics. The high-school to college aged kids that would run around and play with the younger children. Those two that are more like halves of a whole than boyfriend and girlfriend or brother and sister. And everyone else.

I narrowed my eyes, but I did not shed any tears.

_Is my father really wrong?_

I turned to the others.

Luke, Tear, Jade, Ion, Mieu. I then glanced at Guy for a moment.

_I wonder if there's anyone here I can trust with something like this_.

Then again, it's too early for me to make any decisions. I need to know them a little more before I tell them anything about myself. As long as I do not ask them where they are from, then they won't ask me where I am from. And I know _exactly_ what to do in case someone gets a little too nosy.

I still remember that one thing that those two kids had once told me, the ones that were half of a whole. I remember it well since I was on my way to see the doctor for a checkup after I was recovering from an... illness that I had suffered back then. I didn't remember the way to the doctor's clinic, so they offered to take me there with a twenty minute walk. I remember back then that the residents there do not use their cars that much, since it's such a small town. They're more into using their bikes or anything similar. Others, like those two kids, would go by foot.

* * *

><p>"<em>Here in this town, it's best that you do not pry for our past too much."<em>

"_What do you mean?" I asked her._

_She stopped for a moment, as did her other half, considering her answer. Then she finally looked at me in the eye, "You have suffered despair many a time before you moved your family here, didn't you?" When she saw that I didn't have the heart to answer her, she looked at the grassy fields and continued, "Many of us, including me, have too."_

"_I also suffered in the past," her friend, the boy that was a few inches taller that her, spoke, "Maybe we both still suffer, but just don't notice."_

"_In fact," she looked back at me, "I think the only residents here who never knew the meaning of despair are the few children that were either born here in this town, or were too young to remember when they first came here."_

_The three of us continued our walk to the doctor's clinic. After a minute of silence, I thought of something._

"_You say that you have suffered despair, right?"_

"_I have. We both have," she never stopped walking as she looked up at the clouds somewhat, her other half did the same._

"_What do you do about it? What do you do to... or maybe I should say, what _did_ you guys do to end _your_ despair?"_

_They chuckled quietly, with her answering, "Heh heh. I wonder about that myself sometimes. Maybe I did something, or maybe I didn't. Maybe my friends did something, or maybe they didn't. Maybe my despair ended, or maybe it never did." She then looked at me, "What about you, Aschton? You know the true meaning of despair. What do _you_ do to end _your_ despair?"_

"_What _can_ you do to end your despair?" Her friend finished._

_I didn't have an answer. Well, actually, I do have an answer, but I can't say it._

_Because I, as the eldest son in the Armash family, do not have the right._

"_You're no longer in their grasp, Aschton," she said with a serious and concerned look, "Here, in this town, you can have anything your heart desires."_

_The boy continued for her, "As long as it can help heal the wounds in your heart, you deserve to have it."_

"_And with the suffering you went through," she spoke._

"_Along with your feelings of longing and loneliness," he continued._

"_Then all the more," the both of them finished._

_I looked at them. They were crazy, but... could they be right? Am I really free from _Them? _I knew the meaning of despair because of _Them_, but..._

"_What did _you_ suffer from?" I asked._

_The both of them have a sad smile._

"_It's best not to pry for our past too much," She, the girl who is half of a whole, said with a sad smile._

"_Otherwise," He, the boy who is also half of a whole, continued with a sad smile of his own._

* * *

><p>"...you will lose your path and go even deeper in despair, and you will never be able to step forward, no matter how hard you try," I silently muttered without actually saying the words.<p>

Not to mention, we would lose the trust of our fellow residents back home. If anyone here, whom one from home might consider them as "Outsiders," were to pry about my past too much, then I know I won't be able to trust them. In fact, the only reason I'm staying with everyone here is because they know where to go, whereas I do not. It's kind of funny actually.

I don't trust them, yet I do. Somewhat. Or maybe I don't trust them at all and I'm just getting my hopes up.

Not that I'm any better. I doubt anyone here trusts me, but that is fine. After all, I do not have a reason to trust them with my background. As I have said before, I won't ask them about their backgrounds, and in return, they are not to ask me anything about mine.

I shifted my eyes at Jade.

_There is no way that he knows the meaning of despair._

As much as Jade would "troll around" as my sister Lynne would put it, I know that he is really trying to milk out whatever information he could get out of us. If we turned out to be a threat of any kind, or if we show even the slightest amount of suspicion, I'm sure Jade will investigate. And if it ever showed any bad results, I wouldn't be surprised that he will use whatever reason to eliminate it.

So far, I'm probably the most suspicious, and Jade's calculating manner gives it away.

It really pays when you know at least two people back home who are like him. Those two teachers that are in the high school that Lynne attends: the one that teaches gymnastics, and the one who teaches biology. All of the students in the school have nothing but respect for those two, despite their personalities: Cool and collected, and whenever they find something suspicious, they will investigate. But whenever they find something that they know that they do have the right to pry into, they know when to back off. And if they happen to learn of something that they have no right to tread on, then they will keep silent for the sake of that person, and quietly let the person know that they can trust them.

When those two learned about my secrets, they backed off for my sake, and told me that I could confide in them whenever I need to without any danger of my secrets being leaked.

_I can easily see that Jade does not carry that one characteristic: the characteristic of considering one's feelings._

I remember the time he studied me when we first met back on the Tartarus, he may have thought of me as an enemy at first, but since I had no idea of where I was back then, the theory of me being an enemy was thrown out. Somewhat. Those God-Generals, or whoever they are, were very focused into kidnapping Ion for reasons beyond me. I made no attempt into putting Ion in harm, and since I actually helped him get up after he collapsed from exhaustion once, I think it's safe to say that Jade probably came to the conclusion that I am not a enemy entirely.

Who I am, on the other hand...

I didn't give out my name right away, but with the brief pause I had back then, to them, it would mean that I was either hesitant to give out my name, or maybe I am just soft spoken. It's pretty much a given fact that I am a soft spoken person, even my family and friends back home know about it.

I'm very reluctant for telling others my name. Not my first name, but my family name.

Armash.

To them, I'm known as Aschton _Marker_, but my real name is Aschton _Armash_. Was it really a good idea for me to lie to them like that? I mean... the Armash family never existed here in this world, so there is never a reason for them to fear the name. Maybe I'm just over thinking it. They know my real first name, and that should be the only thing that matters for now. My Marker alias will continue to protect me, just as it always had in the past, whenever I did not feel comfortable to go by Armash. After all, "Marker" used to be...

I sighed to myself.

_It's only fair for me to keep it in memory._

So basically, to everyone here, I'm merely a soft spoken person with a stoic expression who doesn't talk about himself much, if at all. But in return, I do not ask anything about them. I'm not exactly selectively mute, but if that's true to everyone, then I will gladly take that description.

As long as Jade and the others leave me and my possessions alone, then I will leave them alone.

_Besides..._

I turned to the others. I don't plan on staying with them that long, anyway. At least until we get to the next city or two. It will be difficult, walking around this strange world on my own, but I'll manage somehow. After all, I've defied the odds before, and I can do it again. But will I be able to do it on my own unlike the _last_ time from fourteen years ago?

Setting everything else in my mind aside, I went back to my original topic of questioning.

_What am I doing here? How did I get here? How was I brought here? When did I get here? Who brought me here? And _why_ am I here?_

I tried thinking back.

Let's see... I remember leaving my house the week after that... incident... happened, so I could get out and have time getting myself back together. I was driving the Honda Ridgeline that I own to go and do my "business trip" up in West Virginia.

Come to think of it, only Lucian and Laura know about the true meaning of that "business trip."

_My family, my siblings, everyone... are you all okay?_

Shaking my thoughts about them aside, I tried to think back again.

Okay, after driving for a while, I had a headache, so I pulled over at the next Target that I came across to get some more Advil after discovering that I was out, I also bought some snacks for me to eat on the go, all of which remained in my backpack untouched, then...

_The game case..._

Of the four games that were in it, Tales of the Abyss is one of them, and it's currently in my 3DS. But... I didn't put the game card in until _after_ I came here. If it wasn't for Asch, then I probably wouldn't have figured out where I was until it was too late. In a way, Asch had saved me from getting killed by Legretta, Arietta, and their henchmen.

Okay, after purchasing the game case, I went back to my truck, took the medicine, waited for a bit for the headache to go away, then I drove on...

_...No good, I can't remember anything past that._

Well, if there was something that could _remind_ me, then maybe I'll remember? I mean, it sounds unlikely that I passed out while driving... or did I? Was the headache that I had so bad that it caused me to pass out? But that can't be right, I took some medicine, and the headache went away, and the only injury I could remember having when I woke up was having a bump or scrape on my forehead.

…_!_

_So then... just what _happened?

I don't like the looks of this. If I don't remember what happened from between my time after that stop to Target to the time I woke up in the Tartarus...

_Argh! If only I could _remember...!

* * *

><p>As soon as Jade woke up, he practically ordered us to wake the others. I let Guy tend to Luke with Jade tending to Ion, thus leaving me with Tear.<p>

I gently nudged her shoulder, causing her to stir.

She sat up without much of a fuss. I guess she lost a lot more blood than we thought. I remember her once implying that she is a soldier of some sort, since she called that gun-wielding woman "Major" Legretta. I guess she would have normally woken up in an instant if she was completely healthy.

I took my backpack away from its spot as Tear's makeshift pillow once I saw that she's awake.

She handed me my coat, "Thank you."

I dusted what little dirt that was on my coat and put it back on without saying anything. Grabbing my backpack, I carefully checked the contents. Thankfully, I didn't see any signs of anything being taken, much less moved from their original spots. Glancing through my bangs, I noticed Jade glancing at me as well. I could've sworn that our eyes have met for a moment.

_He better not have shifted through my backpack._

Even with Tear using it as a pillow, I have a distinct feeling that Jade may or may not have done something to check the contents of my backpack. Normally, while I don't mind my family or anyone I actually trust looking inside my backpack, I do not want any _Outsider_ to look through it. Who knows, I mean, they could get the wrong idea about me.

It's happened before.

I went through my backpack and grabbed the small pack of bite-sized chocolates. I opened it as quietly as possible, then took out one of the individually clear-wrapped bite-sized candies. It's funny that these chocolates haven't even melted at all.

_It's actually _dark_ chocolate, but whatever._

Sighing, I zipped my backpack back up and strapped it onto my back. I'll just keep the snacks that I bought from Target hidden unless it's an emergency, they're not exactly filling, but at least it's food. Not the healthiest kind, but you get the point, since the sugar might be of help for me.

Jade is the one to prepare breakfast, but it's basically nothing more than some small cheese sandwiches. Because we had to escape from the Tartarus at such a short notice, I doubt Jade had much time to pack food with him. When he handed the sandwiches out, he may or may not have joked about something with the others having deadpan looks at their food, but I didn't pay much attention since I was more focused on the safety of my backpack while I nibbled on my sandwich.

A bit dry, but palatable.

When I finished eating the sandwich, I quietly shoved the small dark chocolate into my mouth and discarded the wrapper by placing it into my pocket.

_Bitter..._

I swallowed the chocolate. I couldn't bring myself to care about anything right now. All I want right now is to go home. Even though I was never able to come to terms with recent events – which is why I left my home in the first place – because of all this. If I go back home now, my family will still accept me, and maybe then... maybe I can bring myself to accept that I am –

"Aschton."

I tensed slightly at the deep sound of my name, but thankfully my clothes prevented that from showing itself. Taking a brief moment for my nerve to calm itself, I looked up and saw Jade looking down at me with an odd smile.

"Do you mind if we talk for a moment?"

I didn't say anything, but I did motion my head to the ground beside me on my right. Jade sat down next to me with that odd smile still on his face. The both of us were silent and no one else spoke, and I noticed that the others were quietly observing us, mainly me. As much as I do not like the sudden amount of attention, it's not that hard to understand why.

_Looks like Jade has decided to make his move._

"I've been meaning to ask," Jade broke the silence, seeing that I wasn't going to start speaking, "How did you get onboard the Tartarus in the first place?"

I turned my head slightly to look at him. That is kind of hard to answer, considering that even I don't know how I ended up there.

"Well?" he was no longer smiling, "Just who are you, anyways? I don't see how it is possible for a mere civilian to get on board a military ship."

Seeing that my silence isn't going to help me, I had no choice but to speak, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"I'm sorry?"

"How I ended up on that _thing_ of yours is beyond me," I lowered my head slightly, hiding my eyes, "I suddenly woke up in there. That is all."

"Is that so?" Jade rose a brow slightly, "Then what were you doing before you woke up?"

I could not answer him without lying, but if I keep it vague enough... "I was on my way to visit a friend at the capital. I haven't seen him for almost a year now."

In a way, this _is_ the truth. I did intend on seeing _him_ should I ever stop by _that place_, and it is the capital of that state, after all.

"In Grand Chokmah?" I rose a brow in a "what do you think?" tone, but didn't correct him because there is no need to, even though I have absolutely no clue where this Grand Chokmah is located. Wrong as he is, Jade most likely took it as a yes, "When we get to Saint Binah, we could find a postal service for you, and you could send a letter to him in order to tell him where you are."

My brow furrowed slightly, "That is not possible." When I saw that he had a slightly confused look on his face, which took me a moment to detect, I continued, "He passed away _eleven years ago_."

Because of the silence that followed, I stood up, seeing that the conversation has ended, and that Jade has failed to corner me. So he didn't shift through my backpack, which is a major relief. The less that these people know about me, the better. Because one will never be able to know if people like _Them_ are lurking around.

"What about your siblings?"

I turned to Guy, since he was the one who asked the question.

_How should I answer him..._

"I told you before, I have not seen them in a long time," my voice, devoid of any emotion, spoke. It has probably been at least two days since I last saw them, but I do not see any need into telling them that. Because, again, the less these people know about me, the better.

"What about your other friends, then?" Jade pushed his glasses up slightly, a little glare appearing on it, "You must have other friends besides the one who had passed away."

_How _dare_ he...!_

I furrowed my brow as I remembered our hometown's classic rule: It's best not to pry into our pasts too much. If these people pry about _my_ past too much, then... I can not guarantee my safety, nor theirs. My brow furrowed even further as I piercingly stared at the colonel. After I've lived in my current hometown for almost ten months now, the stare of observation and distrust that the residents have, I ended up picking it up, too. Only one thing about Jade Curtiss is for sure:

_I can _not_ trust this man. Not now. Not _ever.

I can not let this man know about my hometown. It's the only place left for me now... and not just for me, but for my family, as well. And like most of us there in that quiet and peaceful town... we, the citizens, have nowhere else to go. That small town... it is _paradise_ compared to my old home. I don't want to lose it. Not after everything I put my family through. That small town is not only the holy land for us, but for the other residents as well. It wouldn't do any good if I allowed any calamity to befall upon them, not after everything that town had done for me.

"Even if I did have other friends, what point is there in you knowing about them?" I answered after choosing my words carefully as I couldn't help but scowl.

Jade looked mildly surprised, but showed it for only a split second. A tense silence followed afterward, and I kept my attention toward Jade, never looking away from the eye, with my body still as stone.

"...Jade, I think you should just leave it at that. It's none of our business," Ion suddenly spoke up before looking at me in the eye, "I trust him, so please."

Another silence.

"Oh, very well," Jade gave in and sighed in a somewhat dramatic manner before straightening up, "We should get going."

I don't know if I can take Ion's word for it, but I might as well for now.

While Jade was helping Guy pack up, I relaxed and extended my hand to Tear. She rose a brow at me for a moment, but shook her head before standing up, "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Thank you."

I retracted my hand, not offended in the least. She looks like she's feeling better, so that's good, since it takes a small load off my shoulders. Of course, after Jade's attempt at trying to pry information out of me, and from the way I acted to protect myself, it's probably not surprising that she is wary. I won't deny that I have many things to hide, I just can't trust people enough for me to say anything to them. But then again, it is... very hard to after _That_.

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot."

I heard Jade speak again, and saw that he seemed to be talking to himself for a moment. After digging through his bag for a moment, he held out two oddly familiar objects to me. I rose a brow, where I have I seen these guns before?

"You may as well take these," Jade said, "I picked these up after forcing Legretta to drop them."

"Legretta...?" It took me a moment to remember who he was talking about, "Oh, right. The gun-wielding woman. These are hers?"

"I couldn't risk leaving them behind, lest Legretta the Quick were to try and shoot us again. These will be more powerful than those knight-issued arms you have, which you took from the Tartarus, no doubt."

"That I did," I didn't see any point in denying it, "When you see half-eaten corpses, you know something is amiss. While I do not remember how I ended up inside of that... thing, all I cared about was to find a way out. I was looking for a weapon and then I found a boxful of them."

I wasn't lying when I said this. However, I didn't know that the Tartarus was Jade's.

"I see. Well, here, take them, they're all yours now." As he handed them to me, Jade went over to Ion to speak to him about something, leaving me slightly confused. Was is just me, or did he hide an insult in that sentence? Well, even if he did, I wouldn't even know. Or care.

"Hey, Aschton."

"Hm?" I turned to Guy, who is strangely standing close to me.

"Those guns... may I have a look at them?"

...Why is Luke giving me the silent signs of not to do that?

* * *

><p><strong>Remember, Aschton does not know Tales of the Abyss very well, since he has never played it, so don't expect him to know future events.<strong>

**As for some of his background, it's to match up what he went through in his original story. You see, Red Dog - TotA is just a non-canon sidestory of the actual Red Dog Story I'm writing. I just felt like using Aschton in a Tales of the Abyss fanfic since I thought it would be fun to try. I don't remember seeing any OC/Self-Inserts that are male, do you? Normally, they tend to be teenage girls ranging from fifteen to twenty years old.**

**If memory serves me right, the youngest OC/Self-Insert I can ever recall would be Charlotte Harrison, who is thirteen (and eventually changed to sixteen?) from Two Worlds Combined, which is a Tales of Symphonia fanfic. For Tales of the Abyss, it would be Temari Haruhara, who is fifteen, from Usotsuki, Usotsuki. And the oldest would be Letha Vitae from Fairy Tales and Brave Vesperia, which is a Tales of Vesperia fanfic. Yes, people, I sometimes look at self inserts just to see how old they are.**

**...Why do I even ramble on about these things?**


End file.
